Dr. Storm Phoenix poked her head into the diagnostics team office. “Hey.”
Dr. Greg House didn‘t even look at her. “What?”
“We’re going to that conference in Boston this weekend, and I got tickets to the Boston Celtics basketball game at the Garden on Friday night.”
“The Garden?”
“Big arena in Boston. Anyway, I’ve got one left. Want it?”
House looked up oddly. “I didn’t know you liked basketball.”
Storm grinned. “I like the Celtics. I went to a game when I was 6 and had so much fun, I watch them on TV whenever I can.” She laughed. “And probably even when I can’t. Now do you want the ticket or not?”
“That depends.” House responded. “Who else is going?”
“Cale, Wilson and the triplets. I convinced Nekolai to let me take them with me. Now, for the last time, do you want the ticket?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Sounds interesting.” He smirked evilly. “So, do you consider this a date?”
She glared at him. “Just remind me on Friday morning at the airport.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“What the hell are you doing? Our flight leaves in 90 minutes! Move!” Storm exclaimed, leaping over the back of the couch and landing next to House.
“So?” he asked, annoyed.
“You’re supposed to get there early for all the security checks! COME ON!” she shrieked, playfully taking a swing at him with a pillow.
He swatted it away. “I’m packed. I’ll go after this show finishes.”
Storm rolled her eyes. “I hope Cale and Wilson aren’t already there waiting for us…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cale looked around. She was already through security, and waiting with Wilson at a little café. “Jimmy? Where are they?”
He didn’t look up from the newspaper he was reading. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re still going through security?”
Cale sighed. “Yeah, probably. I hope they hurry up. Storm’s got my basketball ticket.”
Wilson looked at her oddly. “Is that all?”
“Well, yeah, if Storm has the tickets, and they miss the flight, we miss the game! And I don’t think the triplets would enjoy being deprived of a basketball game.”
“Right,” Wilson said with a sigh. “Don’t worry about it much, okay?” he asked gently. “They’re coming.”
Just then, Storm came bounding around the corner, smiling brightly, full of energy. “Hey guys!”
Cale grinned, getting up from her chair. “Hi Storm! Where’s House?”
“Here,” House muttered, limping up to the three of them. He glared at Storm. “You move too fast.”
Storm continued smiling. “Sorry!” She turned back to Cale and Wilson. “Let’s head for the gate!”
She turned toward that general direction and shot off like a rocket. House rolled his eyes and limped after her. Wilson looked at Cale. “Is she always this hyper on travel days?”
Cale shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t know how she does it - for whatever reason, travel brings out her inner six-year-old.”
Wilson and Cale smiled at each other, and Wilson reached for her hand. Cale took it, and the two started off in the direction Storm ran.
After a moment, Cale asked, “Jimmy?”
“What?”
She grinned. “I wonder if House was able to catch Storm - or vice-versa.”
Wilson laughed, and Cale continued. “Maybe he did catch her and she’s running circles around him!” she suggested jokingly.
He shook his head and smiled. “With Storm, you can never tell.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
House managed to catch up with Storm at the gate. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
She batted her long eyelashes. “But, House, I love Boston! And I’m going to see the triplets! And the Celtics game! And we’ll only be a few hours from New Hampshire!”
House raised an eyebrow at her. “So?”
“New Hampshire’s supposed to be really nice!” She laughed. “I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard it’s really nice! And if I have free time, I intend to find out for myself!”
House’s expression didn’t change. “Are you on some new allergy medication or something?”
“Well, no, but can’t I be happy about traveling?”
“Yeah. Happy, but not that happy. That’s just too happy.”
Storm shrugged. “Whatever.”
A woman from the airline tapped Storm on the shoulder. “Ticket?”
Storm screamed, and whipped around, her tight blonde curls twirling around her head.
The woman took a step back. “I’m sorry, did I frighten you?”
Storm grinned, and blushed slightly. “Yeah, but that’s okay, I’m kind of hyper today anyway, so,” She spun back around and glared at House. “Don’t pull my hair!” She laughed. “God, I feel like I’m in kindergarten.”
The airline woman smiled. “Ticket?” she asked again, amazingly calm.
Storm nodded. “Ticket. Right. Ticket. Ticket…?” She was digging through her pockets. She looked at House, totally and utterly lost. “Ticket?”
He smirked, pulling it out of the pocket of his jacket. “You mean this?”
Storm glared at him. “Mine,” she hissed, snatching the boarding pass out of his hand. She paused. “Wait…how’d you…?” She shook her head. “Never mind.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Her eyes continued to burn with anger. “I hate you. I really do,” she replied coldly, as they walked through the gate to the plane.
House smirked. “Sure you do.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Storm was sitting on the plane, bouncing to the time of the loud rock music playing in her headphones, and reading. House looked over at her and pulled her headphones off. She glared at him, and he shrugged. “I wanted to know what you were listening to.”
She rolled her eyes and went back to her book. “Whatever.” House reached over and bent the cover of her book. She sighed, put the bookmark in it, and handed it to him. “Here. Satisfy your curiosity.”
He took it from her. “Thanks.” He looked at the cover, read the back, and handed it back to her. “Reincarnation?”
“Yep.”
“I thought you were a psychologist.”
“I am.”
“You believe in this crap?”
“I’m curious.”
“I’m not.”
She looked over, smirking. “I’m amazed. You‘re always curious.”
“I’m curious as to why you’re curious. I think that it’s crap.”
She chuckled. “I’m not even remotely surprised you think it’s crap.”
Cale poked her head over the seat. “Think what’s crap?”
They both looked at her oddly.
She blinked. “I think I missed something.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Storm looked around, smiling. “Logan Airport! Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig!”
House looked at her, amused but annoyed. “What?”
She grinned. “Nothing!”
He shook his head. “Same as what’s going on under all those curls, Goldilocks. Nothing.”
She opened her mouth to argue, when a little voice called behind her. “Mommy!”
She whipped around. “HI!”
Trent, Angel and Natasha tackled her. She squealed, hugging them. They hugged back, and then looked up. They all screeched. “Auntie Cale!”
She laughed. “I told you not to call me ‘auntie’! It makes me sound old!” She spread her arms wide and grinned. “Come get me!”
The triplets let go of Storm and made a beeline for Cale. Storm turned and laughed, watching Cale try to manage the three children. She saw House visibly tense beside her out of the corner of her eye. Interested, she turned around to see who else standing in front of her but Nekolai Rylin.
Almost instantly, the jovial atmosphere vanished, replaced by tension. They stood, face-to-face, becoming enveloped in a tense, awkward silence.
Cale, still trying to manage all three of the triplets at once, watched this with interest. House and Wilson shot glances at each other, waiting for the eruption.
Storm broke the silence. She smiled nervously. “Um…hi?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Storm sighed. She swiped her room key, and the door opened. House followed her. “What happened to the hyper-active blonde that flew out of Princeton this morning?”
She ignored him. “I could have handled that better. I should have realized that Nekolai would have come with the kids. I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re still mad at yourself about that?” he asked, facing her.
She was looking out the window at the falling rain. “This sucks.”
“The rain?”
“No, I like the rain.” Her eyes glinted mischievously as she turned to him. “Do you know what Nekolai and I always did when it rained?”
He smirked, limping toward her. “I think I can guess.” Storm blew him a kiss, and he grinned. “And I want a piece of it.”
“Wait!” Storm exclaimed.
“What?”
She looked at the clock. “2:30. We need to be there at 6:30...” She smirked at House. “We have time.”
By this point, House was sitting next to her on the bed. She reached up, gently touching his face. She whispered, “I love your eyes.”
He whispered back, “I love your body.”
Storm giggled, then kissed him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Storm rounded the corner to the lobby, tickets in hand. She began handing them out. “One ffor you,” she said to Cale. “One for you, one for you,” she said to both Wilson and House. She knelt down in front of the triplets. “And one for you, you, you.” She stood up. “And me.” She stopped, and turned to Cale, who was snickering. “What?”
“Your Celtics jersey says ‘House’ on it.”
“So?”
“It’s funny!”
“Why? Number 50, Eddie House, he’s a good player! Yours isn’t even a basketball jersey! Yours is football!”
“I know.”
Storm blinked, infuriated. “So why are you wearing it?”
Cale grinned. “New York Giants. Number 28. Something Wilson.”
“You don’t even know the guy’s name!”
Cale shrugged. “So? It says ‘Wilson’ on it!”
Storm rolled her eyes. “Nimrod.” She smiled and turned to the door. “To the Garden!”
Angel blinked. “But Mom, I thought the game was in an arena!”
Storm stopped. “Wait, what? No, the Garden is an arena!”
“Really? Oh. Okay!”
Storm grinned. “Right then. As I was saying, TO THE GARDEN!”
Cale and the triplets cheered, and everyone followed Storm out of the hotel.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chatboard (0)